The little girl who stole our hearts on the big screen will not make the minds of children dance with her new literary adventures as an artist. The youngest actress ever to receive a best actress Academy Award nomination for her role in Beasts of the Southern Wild will flaunt her writing abilities.

Teaming up with book publishing giants Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Quvenzhané, age 12, will produce four books in total. Three of the books will be a chapter-book trilogy and the fourth a picture book written by the young actress.

The books will be aimed at young readers, as you might have already guessed.

The books haven’t been titled as of yet, but the first of the trilogy is set to be released in January of 2017. It will be followed by the second book. The picture book to drop in the Fall of 2017, then last trilogy book in the summer of 2018.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

“Reading is very important,” Wallis said. “It allows people to form a visual experience in their minds of what is going on in the story. I hope all readers enjoy using their imaginations along with me and take a journey into my books.”

Loosely based on the author’s own experiences, Wallis’ yet-to-be-titled picture book follows a spunky young heroine who is very much looking forward to a night out with her mom at an awards show. The duo has a grand time getting dressed up, riding in a limo and walking the red carpet.

Dawn Davis, vp and publisher of 37 INK, a division of Atria added, “The characters Quvenzhane has portrayed have an alluring mix of self-possession and vulnerability. We look forward to her bringing that same electric combination to the page. We also hope these books will help expand the diverse array of voices in the children’s book space.”

It is great to see young, black talent expand their wings and allow their talent to flourish. Quvenzhané is an exemplary role model and one we are very excited to promote here at Urban Intellectuals. Hopefully her new literary work will touch the hearts and minds of millions and millions of young people around the world inspiring them to not only read, but dream and take action.

Source: HollywoodReporter